IIT Bombay removes dean after student suicide

Mumbai, Sep 21 (PTI) The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Monday said Prof Suryanarayana Doolla has been removed from the Dean's post with immediate effect, days after a student's suicide.

The institute's director, Prof Shireesh Kedare, in an official mail, said that Prof Doolla, presently serving as Dean (Administrative Affairs), has been removed from the post, as per officials.

"Any further action will be taken after investigation," the director added.

Earlier, Prof Doolla served as Dean (Student Affairs).

Sahil Ravindra Wakode (22), a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hotel room on the IIT Bombay's Powai campus on Friday evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination, according to officials.

His family alleged that Wakode, a native of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, was subjected to institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination before he took the extreme step, which triggered a protest by students on the campus.

The protesters claimed that Wakode faced severe pressure and threats of academic suspension.

Following a complaint by the student's parents, the police on Saturday registered an FIR on charges of abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A professor has been named as an accused in the case, which is being investigated by the Crime Branch, according to the police.